Our vision is to preserve and advance the
academic, artistic, and cultural legacy of
Brainerd Institute.
About
Brainerd Institute was formed as an elite educational institution for African Americans by the Presbyterian USA Church in 1867. The school continued to... Learn more.
Programs
Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen's current endeavor is a project called Workshops in Open Fields, based on the ground-breaking program she started in Houston, Texas. Learn more.
Donate
The ambitious vision of the Brainerd Institute Heritage board of directors, to restore Brainerd and share its legacy and that of Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen... Learn more.
SOUTH CAROLINA FOLK POETRY FEST
IN HONOR OF VIVIAN AYERS' 100th BIRTHDAY
HELD JULY 29, 2023
On July 29, 2023 we celebrated Vivian Ayers' 100th birthday with hundreds of guests in attendance including the Executive Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas who made her way all the way to Chester, South Carolina in honor of Dr. Ayers' and her poetry's contribution to space exploration. Poets from around the Palmetto State came to share their verses as part of the festival and the famous Claflin Choir added their voices.
Hawk by Vivian Ayers
The culminating event was Ayers' daughter, Phylicia Rashad, reading lines from her mother's recently republished poem "Hawk." In conjunction with Dr. Ayers turning 100, Clemson University has republished her celebrated poem, and it's now available for purchase from books stores everywhere. You may now order this powerful work that has inspired astronauts and anyone seeking to "Be True, Be Beautiful, Be Free."
